Santarchy takes place in major cities all over the world involving tens of thousands of Santas. It is a non-profit, non-political, non-religious & non-sensical celebration of holiday cheer, goodwill, and fun. There is no good reason to dress up in cheap Santa suits, run around town, give gifts, sing songs, have strangers sit on our laps, and decide who is naughty or nice — but it’s a lot of fun — so Santa does it anyway.

The day began on Saturday with brunch in Chinatown (anywhere Santa wanted to go), then at noon Santas enjoyed ice skating at National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. Finally at 1pm the Santas rallied on the “mall-side” steps of the National Museum of Natural History to make merry: